DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 75-94 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/22/2026 has been entered.
Respond to Applicant’s Arguments/Remarks
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 01/22/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1, 5, 7-8, 13 and 17, based solely on the limitations as amended, has been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination of references including prior art being used in the current rejection (see below for detail) under new grounds of rejection, necessitated by amendment.
Claim Objections
Claim 87 is objected to because of missing a period at the end of the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 75-76, 82-84, and 89-90 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song et al. (Song – US 2013/0099920 A1) in view of Taylor et al. (Taylor – US 2018/0103342 A1).
As to claim 75, Song discloses a computer-implemented method for locating a wearable device of a pet with respect to a geofence zone, the computer-implemented method comprising:
querying, by one or more processors, a wearable device for a connection proximity determination with a mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: In this example, the beacons 104, 106 act as advertising devices that actively broadcast beacon signals advertisement protocol data units (herein referred to as "advertisement messages"), and the tracking device 102 acts as a scanning device (i.e., tracking device 102 is in a scanning state/mode) that listens for and attempts to receive the beacon signals from the one or more beacons 104, 106. The beacon signals include address identifier information associated with the beacons 104, 106, and inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the beacons 104, 106. Thus, if the tracking device 102 receives beacon signals associated with the home beacon 106, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the home beacon's perimeter 110. Similarly, if the tracking device 102 receives beacons signals associated with the mobile beacon 104, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the mobile beacon's perimeter 112);
receiving, by the one or more processors, the connection proximity determination from the wearable device, wherein the connection proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside of a connection proximity range of the mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: if the tracking device 102 does not receive the beacon signals from the mobile beacon 104 for a predetermined period of time, for example because the pet has left the authorized perimeter 112 by wandering away from the user, the tracking device 102 may activate its WWAN communications interface 310 and transmit location and identification (ID) information to the tracking server 108 at step 513. In one aspect of the disclosure, the beacon signals transmitted by the mobile beacon 104 are Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. However, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 are not limited to Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. In other aspects of the disclosure, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 may be messages associated with other protocols that again serve to inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the mobile beacon 104).
Song does not explicitly disclose the method steps of querying, by the one or more processors, a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receiving, by the one or more processors, the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone.
However, it has been known in the art of animal location tracking to implement the method steps of querying, by the one or more processors, a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receiving, by the one or more processors, the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor, which discloses the method steps of querying, by the one or more processors, a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone);
receiving, by the one or more processors, the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence); and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone (Taylor: [0042]-[0043], [0046]-[0050], [0053], [0077]-[0078], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4-5: the method 500 has previously detected that a tracking device has exited a geo-fence zone. In this embodiment, the method 500 may determine, for example, that an animal equipped with a tracking device, has strayed from a geo-fence zone on its volition. In this embodiment, the method 500 may alert a user (e.g., an owner) that the animal equipped with the tracking device may potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song and Taylor, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song to include the method steps of querying, by the one or more processors, a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receiving, by the one or more processors, the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmitting, by the one or more processors, a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor. The motivation for this is to inform a user an animal potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone.
As to claim 76, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 75 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 75, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors, a network connection corresponding to the wearable device (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), wherein the network connection comprises a Service Set Identifier (SSID) (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: In alternative embodiments, geo-fence detector 304 may store the names of known Wi-Fi network SSIDs and associate each of the SSIDs with a geo-fence, as discussed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In one embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may store, in addition to an SSID, one or more thresholds for determining when the device 300 exits a geo-fence zone);
comparing, by the one or more processors, the SSID of the network connection corresponding to the wearable device with a list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone); and
determining, by the one or more processors, that the SSID of the network connection for the wearable device is not on the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone).
As to claim 82, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 75 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 75, the computer-implemented method further comprising: pairing, by the one or more processors, the wearable device to the mobile device via a wireless connection, wherein the mobile device is connected to the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0048], [0053], [0065], [0067], and FIG. 4-5: In one embodiment, prompting a user to confirm a walk mode may comprise notifying a user's mobile device. For example, a tracking device may be paired with a mobile device via a Bluetooth connection. In this embodiment, the method 400 may comprise alerting the device via the Bluetooth connection that a walk mode has been detected and allowing the user to confirm the same (e.g., by providing an on-screen notification). Alternatively, a user may be notified by receiving a notification from a server, the notification generated based on the tracking device communicating the detection of a walk mode to said server.).
As to claim 83, Song discloses a system comprising:
a mobile device connected to a network (Song: Abstract, [0033]-[0034], [0038]-[0040], [0043]-[0044], and FIG. 1-2 the mobile device 104: In this sense, a mobile geo-fence for the pet is established bounded by the beacon signal range within the perimeter 112 that moves with the mobile beacon 104. If while during the walk the pet carrying the tracking device 102 leaves the perimeter 112 of the mobile beacon 104 (e.g., the pet runs away from the user), the tracking device 102 may establish a communications link with the tracking server 108 via the WWAN 109 to notify the user of the location of the pet and tracking device 102);
a wearable device of a pet in communication (Song: Abstract, [0033]-[0039], and FIG. 1 the tracking device 102: The tracking device 102 is a battery powered wireless device that is designed to be attached to the object one wishes to track, such as a pet or child. In many of the examples below, it will be assumed that the object being tracked is a pet, but the tracking device 102 may be affixed to many other objects that a user may desire to track) with:
the mobile device via a connection (Song: Abstract, [0033]-[0034], [0038]-[0040], [0043]-[0044], and FIG. 1-2 the tracking device 13 in communication with the mobile device 104 via the short range communication link 114), and
a network interface of the network (Song: FIG. 1-2 the short range communication interface 210 and first communication interrace 206);
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors (Song: FIG. 2) to:
query the wearable device for a connection proximity determination with the mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: In this example, the beacons 104, 106 act as advertising devices that actively broadcast beacon signals advertisement protocol data units (herein referred to as "advertisement messages"), and the tracking device 102 acts as a scanning device (i.e., tracking device 102 is in a scanning state/mode) that listens for and attempts to receive the beacon signals from the one or more beacons 104, 106. The beacon signals include address identifier information associated with the beacons 104, 106, and inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the beacons 104, 106. Thus, if the tracking device 102 receives beacon signals associated with the home beacon 106, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the home beacon's perimeter 110. Similarly, if the tracking device 102 receives beacons signals associated with the mobile beacon 104, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the mobile beacon's perimeter 112);
receive the connection proximity determination from the wearable device, wherein the connection proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside of a connection proximity range of the mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: if the tracking device 102 does not receive the beacon signals from the mobile beacon 104 for a predetermined period of time, for example because the pet has left the authorized perimeter 112 by wandering away from the user, the tracking device 102 may activate its WWAN communications interface 310 and transmit location and identification (ID) information to the tracking server 108 at step 513. In one aspect of the disclosure, the beacon signals transmitted by the mobile beacon 104 are Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. However, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 are not limited to Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. In other aspects of the disclosure, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 may be messages associated with other protocols that again serve to inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the mobile beacon 104).
Song does not explicitly disclose
query the network interface of the network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone.
However, it has been known in the art of animal location tracking to implement query the network interface of the network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor, which discloses query the network interface of the network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone);
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence); and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone (Taylor: [0042]-[0043], [0046]-[0050], [0053], [0077]-[0078], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4-5: the method 500 has previously detected that a tracking device has exited a geo-fence zone. In this embodiment, the method 500 may determine, for example, that an animal equipped with a tracking device, has strayed from a geo-fence zone on its volition. In this embodiment, the method 500 may alert a user (e.g., an owner) that the animal equipped with the tracking device may potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song and Taylor, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song to include query the network interface of the network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor. The motivation for this is to inform a user an animal potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone.
As to claim 84, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 83 further comprising the system of claim 83, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors, a network connection corresponding to the wearable device (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), wherein the network connection comprises a Service Set Identifier (SSID) (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: In alternative embodiments, geo-fence detector 304 may store the names of known Wi-Fi network SSIDs and associate each of the SSIDs with a geo-fence, as discussed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In one embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may store, in addition to an SSID, one or more thresholds for determining when the device 300 exits a geo-fence zone);
comparing, by the one or more processors, the SSID of the network connection corresponding to the wearable device with a list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone); and
determining, by the one or more processors, that the SSID of the network connection for the wearable device is not on the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone).
As to claim 89, Song discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
query a wearable device for a connection proximity determination with a mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: In this example, the beacons 104, 106 act as advertising devices that actively broadcast beacon signals advertisement protocol data units (herein referred to as "advertisement messages"), and the tracking device 102 acts as a scanning device (i.e., tracking device 102 is in a scanning state/mode) that listens for and attempts to receive the beacon signals from the one or more beacons 104, 106. The beacon signals include address identifier information associated with the beacons 104, 106, and inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the beacons 104, 106. Thus, if the tracking device 102 receives beacon signals associated with the home beacon 106, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the home beacon's perimeter 110. Similarly, if the tracking device 102 receives beacons signals associated with the mobile beacon 104, the tracking device 102 may assume that it is within the mobile beacon's perimeter 112);
receive the connection proximity determination from the wearable device, wherein the connection proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside of a connection proximity range of the mobile device (Song: Abstract, [0036]-[0039], [0052]-[0053], [0056]-[0058], [0066], [0073]-[0076], FIG. 1, and FIG. 5-6: if the tracking device 102 does not receive the beacon signals from the mobile beacon 104 for a predetermined period of time, for example because the pet has left the authorized perimeter 112 by wandering away from the user, the tracking device 102 may activate its WWAN communications interface 310 and transmit location and identification (ID) information to the tracking server 108 at step 513. In one aspect of the disclosure, the beacon signals transmitted by the mobile beacon 104 are Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. However, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 are not limited to Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy advertisement messages. In other aspects of the disclosure, the beacon signals broadcast by the mobile beacon 104 may be messages associated with other protocols that again serve to inform the tracking device 102 that it is within range of the mobile beacon 104).
Song does not explicitly disclose query a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone.
However, it has been known in the art of animal location tracking to implement query a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor, which discloses query a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone);
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence); and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone (Taylor: [0042]-[0043], [0046]-[0050], [0053], [0077]-[0078], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4-5: the method 500 has previously detected that a tracking device has exited a geo-fence zone. In this embodiment, the method 500 may determine, for example, that an animal equipped with a tracking device, has strayed from a geo-fence zone on its volition. In this embodiment, the method 500 may alert a user (e.g., an owner) that the animal equipped with the tracking device may potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song and Taylor, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song to include query a network interface of a network for a network proximity determination between the wearable device and the network;
receive the network proximity determination corresponding to the wearable device, wherein the network proximity determination indicates that the wearable device is located outside a network proximity range of the network; and
based on the connection proximity determination and the network proximity determination, transmit a notification to the mobile device, wherein the notification comprises an alert that the wearable device is located outside a geofence zone, as suggested by Taylor. The motivation for this is to inform a user an animal potentially be straying from a desired, geo-fenced zone.
As to claim 90, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 89 further comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 89, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
detecting, by the one or more processors, a network connection corresponding to the wearable device (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), wherein the network connection comprises a Service Set Identifier (SSID) (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: In alternative embodiments, geo-fence detector 304 may store the names of known Wi-Fi network SSIDs and associate each of the SSIDs with a geo-fence, as discussed in more detail with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. In one embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may store, in addition to an SSID, one or more thresholds for determining when the device 300 exits a geo-fence zone);
comparing, by the one or more processors, the SSID of the network connection corresponding to the wearable device with a list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone); and
determining, by the one or more processors, that the SSID of the network connection for the wearable device is not on the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, geo-fence detector 304 may query network interfaces 312 to determine whether the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. In this embodiment, geo-fence detector 304 may compare the current Wi-Fi SSID (or lack thereof) to a list of known SSIDs. If geo-fence detector 304 does not detect that the device 300 is currently connected to a known SSID, geo-fence detector 304 may transmit a notification to CPU 310 that the device has exited a geo-fence zone).
Claims 77-81, 85-88, and 91-94 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Song et al. (Song – US 2013/0099920 A1) in view of Taylor et al. (Taylor – US 2018/0103342 A1) and further in view of Gotts (Gotts – US 2018/0184618 A1).
As to claim 77, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 76 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 76, wherein the list of known SSIDs is generated by at least one of: generating, by the one or more processors, the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), except for the claimed limitations of the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device.
However, it has been known in the art of location tracking to implement the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts, which discloses the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0022]-[0024], [0026], [0048]-[0049], FIG. 1, FIG. 3-4, and FIG. 7: The invisible leash electronic dog collar system may be setup and configured by the owner by physically distributing multiple base stations around the area in which the owner desires to use the system. For example, if the owner wishes to set a perimeter around his or her living room, bedroom and backyard area, the owner shall distribute multiple base stations throughout the home space area. The owner may place a base station in a corner of the living room and such base station may be powered by a wall outlet. Another base station may be placed in the kitchen and powered by a wall outlet).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song, Taylor, and Gotts it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song and Taylor to include the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts. The motivation of this is to a known alternative method for defining pet tracking locations from a pet owner.
As to claim 78, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 75 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 75, the computer-implemented method further comprising: receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence) except for the claimed limitations of receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device.
However, it has been known in the art of location tracking to implement the computer-implemented method further comprising: receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts, which discloses the computer-implemented method further comprising: receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk.).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song, Taylor, and Gotts, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song and Taylor to include the computer-implemented method further comprising: receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts. The motivation of this is to a known alternative method for defining pet tracking locations from a pet owner.
As to claim 79, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 78 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 78, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is located outside of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk).
As to claim 80, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 78 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 78, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is nearing an outer border of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives).
As to claim 81, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 80 further comprising the computer-implemented method of claim 80, wherein the network proximity determination further comprises transmitting, by the one or more processors, a warning notification that the pet is nearing the outer border of the geofence zone (Gotts: Abstract, [0025], [0028]-[0029], and FIG. 3 the ALARMS 150: The dog owner may additionally set up automatic notifications and alerts to be displayed on the mobile device when the dog reaches the predefined distance boundaries. The electronic dog collar module will range its distance with the dog owner's mobile device with a Bluetooth signal to determine the dog's location.).
As to claim 85, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 84 further comprising the system of claim 84, wherein the list of known SSIDs is generated by at least one of: generating, by the one or more processors, the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), except for the claimed limitations of the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device.
However, it has been known in the art of location tracking to implement the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts, which discloses the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0022]-[0024], [0026], [0048]-[0049], FIG. 1, FIG. 3-4, and FIG. 7: The invisible leash electronic dog collar system may be setup and configured by the owner by physically distributing multiple base stations around the area in which the owner desires to use the system. For example, if the owner wishes to set a perimeter around his or her living room, bedroom and backyard area, the owner shall distribute multiple base stations throughout the home space area. The owner may place a base station in a corner of the living room and such base station may be powered by a wall outlet. Another base station may be placed in the kitchen and powered by a wall outlet).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song, Taylor, and Gotts, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song and Taylor to include the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts. The motivation of this is to a known alternative method for defining pet tracking locations from a pet owner.
As to claim 86, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 85 further comprising the system of claim 85, wherein the one or more processors are further to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence) from the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk.).
As to claim 87, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 86 further comprising the system of claim 86, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is located outside of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk).
As to claim 88, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 86 further comprising the system of claim 86, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is nearing an outer border of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives).
As to claim 91, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 90 further comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 90, wherein the list of known SSIDs is generated by at least one of: generating, by the one or more processors, the list of known SSIDs (Taylor: [0042]-[0044], [0049], and FIG. 3: Alternatively, in the embodiment where the method 400 uses the presence of a Wi-Fi network as indicative of a location, the method 400 may determine that a device exits geo-fence zone when the presence of a known Wi-Fi network is not detected. For example, a tracking device may be configured to identify a home network (e.g., using the SSID of the network). When the device is present within the home (e.g., when a pet is present within the home), the method 400 may determine that the device has not exited the geo-fence zone. However, as the device moves out of range of the known Wi-Fi network, the method 400 may determine that a geo-fence zone has been exited, thus implicitly constructing a geo-fence zone based on the contours of the Wi-Fi network), except for the claimed limitations of the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device.
However, it has been known in the art of location tracking to implement the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts, which discloses the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0022]-[0024], [0026], [0048]-[0049], FIG. 1, FIG. 3-4, and FIG. 7: The invisible leash electronic dog collar system may be setup and configured by the owner by physically distributing multiple base stations around the area in which the owner desires to use the system. For example, if the owner wishes to set a perimeter around his or her living room, bedroom and backyard area, the owner shall distribute multiple base stations throughout the home space area. The owner may place a base station in a corner of the living room and such base station may be powered by a wall outlet. Another base station may be placed in the kitchen and powered by a wall outlet).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song, Taylor, and Gotts, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song and Taylor to include the generating comprising: receiving an approved list of SSIDs from a user of the mobile device, or automatically populating the list of known SSIDs based on a plurality of previous WLAN connections corresponding to the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts. The motivation of this is to a known alternative method for defining pet tracking locations from a pet owner.
As to claim 92, Song and Taylor disclose the limitations of claim 89 further comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 89, storing further instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence) except for the claimed limitations of cause the one or more processors to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device.
However, it has been known in the art of location tracking to implement cause the one or more processors to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts, which discloses cause the one or more processors to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device (Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk.).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Song, Taylor, and Gotts, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the animal tracking system of Song and Taylor to include cause the one or more processors to receive a signal strength threshold corresponding to the geofence zone from the mobile device, as suggested by Gotts. The motivation of this is to a known alternative method for defining pet tracking locations from a pet owner.
As to claim 93, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 92 further comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 92, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is located outside of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives and Gotts: Abstract, [0021], [0025], [0027]-[0031], [0036], [0046]-[0047], FIG. 1, and FIG. 4: The dog owner defines the radius distance in the mobile device running the invisible leash system application user interface. For example, the radius distance may be set to 25 ft. with the “Radius” slider button horizontally moveable slide-able thumb point in the user interface. The dog will then be confined to this pre-set user-defined distance during the walk. As the dog owner traverses a path, the system will track the dog owner's position and continuously update the user-defined radius and shift the boundary to follow the dog owner in response to the owner's movement. The dog will be trained to stay within the user-defined radius by variable stimulus modalities and intensities provided by the electronic dog collar module. For example, the dog may be stimulated with vibrational or electro-shock stimulus to encourage staying near the owner within the user-defined radius during the walk. In this regard, the system functions as an invisible leash to train the dog to stay near the owner while the owner is moving about on a walk).
As to claim 94, Song, Taylor, and Gotts disclose the limitations of claim 92 further comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 92, wherein the network proximity determination comprises:
receiving, by the one or more processors, a network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: the method 400 may employ a continuous detection method to determine whether a device exits a geo-fence zone. Specifically, Wi-Fi networks generally degrade in signal strength the further a receiver is from the wireless access point. In one embodiment, the method 400 may receive the signal strength of a known Wi-Fi network from a wireless transceiver. In this embodiment, the method 400 may set one or more predefined thresholds to determine whether a device exits geo-fence); and
based on the signal strength threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the network connection signal strength between the wearable device and the network is nearing an outer border of the geofence zone (Taylor: Abstract, [0050]-[0051], and FIG. 4-5: For example, a hypothetical Wi-Fi network may have signal strengths between ten (strongest) and zero (absence). In a first embodiment, the method 400 may simply monitor for a signal strength of zero before determining that a device exited a geo-fence zone. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the foregoing, the method 400 may set a threshold signal strength value of three as defining a beacon zone (i.e., signal strength between 3 and 10) and implicitly setting a second threshold (i.e., between 0 and 3) as the border of a geo-fence region. In this example, the method 400 may determine a device exited a geo-fence when the signal strength of a Wi-Fi network drops below a value of three. In some embodiments, the method 400 may utilize a timer to allow for the possibility of the Wi-Fi signal strength returning above the predefined threshold. In this embodiment, the method 400 allows for temporary disruptions in Wi-Fi signal strength and avoids false positives).
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Doyle et al., US 2013/0033375 A1, discloses reduction of false alarms in asset tracking.
Eramian, US 2015/0350848 A1, disclose remote monitoring of users at a home location.
Bonge, JR., US 2017/0202186 A1, disclose wireless animal training, monitoring and remote control system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to QUANG PHAM whose telephone number is (571)-270-3668. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM.
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
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